Arab Businesswoman Runs for Israeli Presidency

Ilham Khazen.
Ilham Khazen.
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Arab Businesswoman Runs for Israeli Presidency

Ilham Khazen.
Ilham Khazen.

For the first time in the history of Israel, an Arab businesswoman announced her intention to run for the presidency to succeed the current Reuven Rivlin, whose term will end in July 2021.

Ilham Khazen, a resident of the Arab town of Ba'nah, in the Western Galilee region, said: "This door has been closed to the Arab community for a long time, and the time has come to open it so that Arab citizens of Israel participate in the highest levels of political action, decision-making positions and influence."

The Israeli president is elected by the 120-member Knesset (parliament) for a seven-year term. Every citizen who has reached the age of 24 is entitled to run for the position. Traditionally, politicians or scholars are chosen to head the state.

But this is the first time that an Arab citizen runs for the post.

Khazen's run will likely fail, particularly as she is running against ten other candidates. Some have speculated that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may even run for the post if he fails in dismissing corruption charges against him.

Furthermore, her political platform contradicts the right wing, which boasts the majority in the Knesset.

Also, Khazen believes in peace and resolving conflict in the region through the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. Khazen, 55, is a businesswoman and a mother of five children and grandmother to two grandchildren. She owns a group of pharmacies and a medical center in Sakhnin.

She started her political career in the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality, then moved to the Israeli Labor Party. She ran for a seat in the Knesset, but failed to win.

She says that her nomination for the presidency was a message that Arabs in Israel are also part of Israel and have the right to participate in its leadership.

Khazen says that since her announcement, she has received many letters of support from Jews and Arabs.

“I will work to represent the entire population and to consolidate coexistence among them. Israel is a gathering of minorities, not just Jews and Arabs,” she said.



Lebanese Govt. to Seek New IMF Program, Policy Statement Says

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo is seen outside the headquarters building in Washington, U.S., September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas//File Photo
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo is seen outside the headquarters building in Washington, U.S., September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas//File Photo
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Lebanese Govt. to Seek New IMF Program, Policy Statement Says

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo is seen outside the headquarters building in Washington, U.S., September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas//File Photo
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo is seen outside the headquarters building in Washington, U.S., September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas//File Photo

Lebanon's new government will negotiate with the International Monetary Fund for a new program and will work to deal with the country's financial default and public debt, according to a policy statement approved by the cabinet late on Monday.

The statement, a copy of which was reviewed by Reuters, said the government would work for an economical revival that could only be achieved through restructuring the banking sector.

Lebanon has been in deep economic crisis since 2019, when its financial system collapsed under the weight of massive state debts, prompting a sovereign default in 2020 and freezing ordinary depositors out of their savings in the banking system.

Beirut reached a draft funding deal with IMF in 2022 - contingent on reforms that authorities failed to deliver.

Finance Minister Yassine Jaber, who took office as part of a new government agreed earlier this month, told Reuters an IMF mission is expected to visit Lebanon in March.

Jaber said he had met the IMF's resident representative in Lebanon, Frederico Lima, and confirmed that the government plans to move ahead with reforms.

Lebanon's political landscape has been turned on its head since the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah, long a dominant player in Lebanese politics, was badly pummelled in last year's war with Israel.

Reflecting the shift in the power balance, the government policy statement did not include language used in previous years that was seen to legitimize a role for Hezbollah in defending Lebanon, saying instead "we want a state that has the decision of war and peace".

The statement said it was required to adopt a national security strategy and a foreign policy that works to 'neutralize' Lebanon from conflicts.

In the field of energy, the Lebanese government will seek to resume work in oil and gas exploration, according to the cabinet statement. It said the government planned to establish a Ministry of Technology and Artificial Intelligence.

With a new administration in neighboring Syria, the statement said the Lebanese government believed it has an opportunity to start a serious dialogue aimed at controlling and demarcating the borders and working to resolve the issue of displaced Syrians in Lebanon.